3 January 2021

Exhibition 'The Language of Fashion' at MK&G Hamburg is an exploration of the museum's own collection of pieces by international designers and the use of written text from brand names, logos to political messages

Currently, the MK&G Hamburg has closed its exhibitions such as 'The Language of Fashion' for the public due to Covid-19 measures presumably until 11 January (fast checked today). The good news - beside the fact that the vaccinations have started in Europe: The exhibition is scheduled to be on view until 31 October 2022.

The language of fashion happens on various levels such as colors, patterns, textiles, situations when worn such as for festive moments, or for example from which perspective the 'language' is viewed. Semioticians call all these levels 'text' as colors or patterns can carry meanings which are developed from an interplay of different levels. Now, the exhibition 'The Language of Fashion' focuses on written text or letters on fashion items itself.

"Text and textile share the same Latin root: "textus". The German translation for "textus" is "Gewebe", which in the figurative sense can also mean "connection", as in a "fabric of connections," introduces the MK&G into its approach. At the press release, French cultural philosopher Roland Barthes' study about the loading of meaning (denotation) of fashion through written text in magazine articles is mentioned as pioneering work and name-giver of the exhibition. Barthes widened semiotical studies by the analysis of sociological fields like media. The findings of the study were published under the title 'Système de la mode' (translated in English as 'The Language of Fashion', in German 'Die Sprache der Mode') in Paris in 1967. The exhibition title is a reference to the groundbreaking research on journalism and written text in fashion. MK&G selected a new perspective on the 'system of fashion' and is reviewing the own collection of fashion items from the 19th century until nowadays and how designers like Walter Van Beirendonck, Coco Chanel, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld, or Martin Margiela communicated by placing written texts on their creations. Among the exhibited artefacts, a paper dress once sent to subscribers of the 'Time' magazine as Valentine's Day supplement in 1967 (on view at the image).

Image from left to right, insight into the exhibition 'The Language of Fashion' at MK&G Hamburg, Germany (14 August 2020 until 31 October 2022): Devon Halfnight LeFlufy (1984), Raf Simons (1968)/Sterling Ruby (1972), paper dress Time Magazine (1967), Devon Halfnight LeFlufy (1984), Rosella Jardini (1952)/Moschino. Photo: © Henning Rogge, Hamburg.